Author: Core Group

Dear CSA Member,

Wind, rain, falling leaves and it is cold. The fall is coming to a close and the landscape is now moving from bright color to grays. The garden is still producing even as the seasons start another change.

It is the season for root crops. The root crops have been growing underground all throughout the season and now fill the shares. Heavy and hearty: Bolero Carrots, Potatoes, Beets, Purple Globe Turnips. The leafy greens of fall, Flat Leaf Parsley and Red Russian Kale which seem to grow more vibrant in the cold.

Popcorn will be in the share this week. It was picked about 3 weeks ago and has been drying in the greenhouse. It will need to dry another 3 weeks in your home. I did try a cob to see if the kernels would pop and had great success but I think it may be worth letting the corn dry a bit more before trying to pop. The kernels need to be fully dry or they will not pop properly. It will be hard to wait but worth it. When the pop corn is ready to pop take the the kernels from the cob. Once you get a row started it is easy to pick the other rows off the cob. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the bottom of a pan with a lid. Add 1/2 cup of kernels to the pan, put on the lid-very important! Turn to medium high heat and listen for the pop. When the popping slows and then stops take from the heat right away. The yellow of the corn was so bright that the kernels looked like they had butter on them even without. Add salt, butter or let your imagination go. Enjoy.

On the Marketplace are bulk options for Potatoes, Carrots and Beets. Honey is getting low as is the Maple Syrup. This is Week #22 so there are only two more deliveries after this week. The Coffee is perfect for these cold wintry days and you might want to stock up on some of the other products before the season ends.

Enjoy the vegetables
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

Dear CSA Member

Fall staples: potatoes, carrots, beets and garlic this week. We are in the final weeks of our 2013 CSA season and as the weather gets colder, the vegetables get heartier. The colors of the vegetables are so vibrant as the cold weather hits. The root crops even seem to get sweeter with a bit of frost.

Members have been sharing delicious recipes that I have been adding to the farm website Recipe section. If you have a favorite, please pass it on so it can be added. If you have a favorite website or blog that you think other CSA members would enjoy, please send that along as well.

Marketplace items are still available if you would like to place an order and stock up for the winter. Honey, maple, coffee will all keep well. Please don’t wait until the last minute because some items will sell out. New this week are 15 pound bags of Potatoes, Carrots and Beets.

Tuesday the 29th of October we will be planting garlic and members are invited to come to the farm and help if they would like. We are trying to work around the weather and we were not able to make the planting day a weekend. We needed to pick the best day weather wise to plant the garlic. If you are planning on coming to help please bring your own lunch and drinks, dress warmly it has been cold and windy. We will meet at 9 AM at the barn at 145 Garcia Lane, Leeds, NY 12451 and we work until 4. If you can’t make it, the garlic will be safely planted, covered and will spend the winter in the field. We will see it early next spring once again as it is one of the first plants to push their green leaves from the ground.

Keep warm and enjoy the vegetables.
Deborah
for everyone at Stoneledge Farm